Teachings: Calls To Action

What Does Judaism Have to Say About Organ Donation?

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

Depending upon your age, you might remember Jewish tradition on the topic of organ donation as very different from how it actually is today. Once opposed, Jewish law and practice on organ donation has changed dramatically, which is the beauty of Judaism as a living, evolving tradition. Now that organ transplantation is a highly successful way to save a life, organ donation has been deemed an obligatory act, a mitzvah chiyuvit, by every major branch of Judaism.

Now, it is important to note that some Orthodox leaders differ on how to determine the time of death, and prefer a point later than brain death, which results in some organs being rendered unusable but even in that case, the kidneys, barring kidney disease, remain transplantable after death. Accordingly, not to bequeath at least some of your organs has become a transgression of the mitzvah of pikuakh nefesh, “saving a life.”

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Podcast of Mitzvah Project: Gleaning and Glowing

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

Inspiring four minute story of an updated approach to gleaning that adds dignity to the lives of the poor by creatively gleaning and supplying fresh produce to the shelves of the local food bank. A readily replicable mitzvah project perfect for bar and bat mitzvah, youth groups, congregations, etc. Gleaning projects are on the rise world-wide, and may be available for participation in your area.

<a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/oGlJLsKw1UIa4dec24ad2b1ac4cbc01e4e39075acee.htm" _cke_saved_href="http://www.linkedtube.com/oGlJLsKw1UIa4dec24ad2b1ac4cbc01e4e39075acee.htm">LinkedTube</a>

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How to Create a "Green" Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Ensure All Rites of Passage Are Kind to the Environment

Spirituality is When Learning Leads to Meaningful Action
By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

The environmental impact of your rite of passage, celebration and even your thank you notes is worthy of serious consideration since there are lots of ways to have a wonderful bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah while also being gentle on the environment. Here's how:

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How We Count Matters: An Anti-trafficking Story & Omer Guide

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

This story and guide first appeared as a donation to Rabbi Heather Altman's Omer project http://www.globalsevachallenge2012.com/

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Must Jewish Children Be Vaccinated?

By: 
Rabbi Goldie Milgram

Several years ago a British lawyer fashioned a campaign against vaccines that attributed autism spectrum disorders to vaccination via a hypothetical, never substantiated link to mercury. This fraud netted him over a million dollars in “expert” testimony. Children and adults have died for lack of immunity to devastating childhood diseases because many well-intentioned parents disseminated his position and that led some parents to refrain from having their children vaccinated.

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